Van Heemstra is a family that belongs to the Dutch nobility.
Of Frisian

Frisians

The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...

 origin, the genealogy

Genealogy

Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...

 of the family begins with Taecke Obbema Heemstra, mentioned as a voting representative (nobleman) in Oostergo in 1492. After the founding of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in November 1813, the Frisian nobility was integrated. In 1814 the van Heemstra family was recognized as belonging to Dutch nobility with the title of baron

Baron

Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

.

Notable members

The mother of Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...

was Ella baroness van Heemstra (1900-1984).

Literature

• T. Voerman, Van Heemstra, genealogische aantekeningen betreffende het geslacht van Heemstra tot het eind der 19e eeuw, Amsterdam: 1989. (in Dutch).
• Nederlands Adelsboek, jaargang 84 (Den Haag, 1994). (in Dutch)